Support NeoGAF

[Daneel Elijah]

Sure man, whatever you say.

Starfield uses this simulation to some pretty cool effect already.

But I think there is a lot of potential here they haven't even begin to scratch. They were busy laying the groundwork.

If true it would be great. But I don't think that they will patch Starfield like Elder Scrolls online or even semi GAAS like No man sky. it would mean that we got a beta instead of the true game. I have yet to play it so I would love it if true. The better it becomes the more fun I will have playing it. I can't see them doing this when they will need all the manpower they can have to make the next elder scrolls. But maybe Xbox will ask them to do it.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

If true it would be great. But I don't think that they will patch Starfield like Elder Scrolls online or even semi GAAS like No man sky. it would mean that we got a beta instead of the true game. I have yet to play it so I would love it if true. The better it becomes the more fun I will have playing it. I can't see them doing this when they will need all the manpower they can have to make the next elder scrolls. But maybe Xbox will ask them to do it.

They have expansions planned.

What they need to do is incentivise planet surface exploration with some unique quests.

I have played the game. Can be done.

It cannot be called beta cause it has polish and enough content to last you 100s of hours.

It's gameplay loop needs a minor change. Adding some 20 hrs of quests (20 planets each with about an hour of backstory) would do it.

It will be 10/10 experience if they add this.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

It would be very difficult to salvage Starfield, many gameplay systems are broken/lacking or hugely imbalanced

It’s in a worse state mechanically than cyberpunk imho, and I don’t think Bethesda will spend the investment necessary like CDPR

 

[Buggy Loop]

This is how NMS solar system works.

NMS sun is a skybox, which the skybox itself is rotated around the planet to make the day and night cycle. Planets don't orbit either, obviously as you don't orbit a skybox. All planets then have the same day/night cycle in-sync. Planets remain stationary.

There's something ironic about a space exploration game that brings back geocentrism.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

It would be very difficult to salvage Starfield, many gameplay systems are broken/lacking or hugely imbalanced

It’s in a worse state mechanically than cyberpunk imho, and I don’t think Bethesda will spend the investment necessary like CDPR

Which game systems are broken?

 

[hyperbertha]

Sure man, whatever you say.

Starfield uses this simulation to some pretty cool effect already.

But I think there is a lot of potential here they haven't even begin to scratch. They were busy laying the groundwork.

Laying the groundwork for what? Elderscrolls 6?

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Laying the groundwork for what? Elderscrolls 6?

Treat it like release of Elder Scrolls 1. It's very different from what market has seen so far.

By the time Morrowind released, they had matured the formula a lot, that was essentially perfected in Skyrim.

Starfield formula, I don't think it will take that long to perfect. They have army of developers and a ton of player feedback.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

They have expansions planned.

What they need to do is incentivise planet surface exploration with some unique quests.

I have played the game. Can be done.

It cannot be called beta cause it has polish and enough content to last you 100s of hours.

It's gameplay loop needs a minor change. Adding some 20 hrs of quests (20 planets each with about an hour of backstory) would do it.

It will be 10/10 experience if they add this.

Some people have played Star citizen for 100s of hours and it is still not feature complete. But I understand your point. Time will tell.

 

[Sybrix]

As soon as Todd Howard said "Hundreds of systems" you knew there was trouble coming.

I like Starfield, i dont love it but it's a fun game.

Quantity over quality comes to mind.

This game could have been a GOTY contender if they focused on less planets/systems and made them unique.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Sure man, whatever you say.

Starfield uses this simulation to some pretty cool effect already.

But I think there is a lot of potential here they haven't even begin to scratch. They were busy laying the groundwork.

It's not a live-service game lol. They HAVE released a product for $70. And they are NOW laying the groundwork? lol

 

[vaibhavpisal]

It's not a live-service game lol. They HAVE released a product for $70. And they are NOW laying the groundwork? lol

You will get your moneys worth with this.

Laying the groundwork means, creating a gameplay loop that works in this setting.

Skyrim encourages exploration very well. You keep exploring its world, you will keep coming across cool quests/situations.

That's not directly applicable here cause of planets.

This game can create awe and exploration opportunity cause of different planets.

 

[GHG]

You will get your moneys worth with this.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Skyrim encourages exploration very well. You keep exploring its world, you will keep coming across cool quests/situations.

That's not directly applicable here cause of planets.

 

[onQ123]

So when the score was high it was in the thread title but now that it's low it's removed?

 

[Draugoth]

They have expansions planned.

What they need to do is incentivise planet surface exploration with some unique quests.

I have played the game. Can be done.

It cannot be called beta cause it has polish and enough content to last you 100s of hours.

It's gameplay loop needs a minor change. Adding some 20 hrs of quests (20 planets each with about an hour of backstory) would do it.

It will be 10/10 experience if they add this.

Unless Bethesda has a geenie in a bootle or were willing to spend 7 years on patches and updates there isnt much it can be done.

They should have focused on the Star System instead of wasting time with 1831 identical planets.

 

[graywolf323]

 

[Topher]

Unless Bethesda has a geenie in a bootle or were willing to spend 7 years on patches and updates there isnt much it can be done.

They should have focused on the Star System instead of wasting time with 1831 identical planets.

Yeah, I'm still a big fan of the game, but this is still the weakest aspect of the game in my mind and I don't see them putting any effort into fixing it.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

So when the score was high it was in the thread title but now that it's low it's removed?

I'm guessing someone didn't want to keep editing it.

Yeah, I'm still a big fan of the game, but this is still the weakest aspect of the game in my mind and I don't see them putting any effort into fixing it.

Weakest thing for me in the game is the powers minigame in the same exact temple over and over and over again...

I'm not much of an explorer in games as I've always been mission-focused in how I play games, so the lack of variety on random planets never really bothered me.

 

[Topher]

I'm guessing someone didn't want to keep editing it.

Weakest thing for me in the game is the powers minigame in the same exact temple over and over and over again...

I'm not much of an explorer in games as I've always been mission-focused in how I play games, so the lack of variety on random planets never really bothered me.

yeah, the temples are underwhelming. The planets themselves don't bother me really, just the traversal between them. That's due to having expectations coming from games like Everspace 2, Elite Dangerous, Rebel Galaxy, etc.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

yeah, the temples are underwhelming. The planets themselves don't bother me really, just the traversal between them. That's due to having expectations coming from games like Everspace 2, Elite Dangerous, Rebel Galaxy, etc.

I wonder how the game would feel with faster load times running behind light travel sequences. I actually found myself not going to the menus much and instead highlighting locations and traveling from within the cockpit view, so removing the load screens would likely make it feel more organic if played that way.

 

[Topher]

I wonder how the game would feel with faster load times running behind light travel sequences. I actually found myself not going to the menus much and instead highlighting locations and traveling from within the cockpit view, so removing the load screens would likely make it feel more organic if played that way.

I think that would make a big difference for me. Just more immersive.

 

[BbMajor7th]

Most obvious one is solar system simulation. "See that moon, you can go there". Mustve been one of the hardest things to achieve. In No Mans Sky, it's all window dressing.

Is this the hottest Starfield take yet? It must be a contender. In NMS I can literally point my spaceship at the sky, fly through the atmosphere into outer space, cross the solar system, and land directly on the surface of another planet or moon, or whatever, without a single loading pause. Both are simulations, but NMS is basically a generation ahead (which considering the relative size of the two developers and the seven-year gap between their releases, is staggering).

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Is this the hottest Starfield take yet? It must be a contender. In NMS I can literally point my spaceship at the sky, fly through the atmosphere into outer space, cross the solar system, and land directly on the surface of another planet or moon, or whatever, without a single loading pause. Both are simulations, but NMS is basically a generation ahead (which considering the relative size of the two developers and the seven-year gap between their releases, is staggering).

No Man's Sky is not a good comparison for this game and I wish people would stop trying to force the comparison. I can't imagine many people who like one game also liking the other. NMS is a complete snoozefest for me, because even though it looks cool, has neat music, and cool systems, it's just not fun for me, and it's also just not a western RPG.

I'm also trying to imagine the backlash of having to actually dock ships in Starfield. If loads screens are a problem, imagine the tediousness of docking. Most people would just do an auto option, wasting the time spent on docking in the first place.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Which game systems are broken?

AI and the weapons

Not to mention the completely broken traversal and empty plants issue

 

[MMaRsu]

AI and the weapons

Not to mention the completely broken traversal and empty plants issue

How are the weapons systems broken?

How is the traversal broken?

Empty planets? Space is full of empty planets dude. They said this from the beginning.

I love people like to shit on this game with shit that Bethesda themselves said and showed from the beginning. Its fucking hilarious.

 

[BbMajor7th]

No Man's Sky is not a good comparison for this game and I wish people would stop trying to force the comparison. I can't imagine many people who like one game also liking the other. NMS is a complete snoozefest for me, because even though it looks cool, has neat music, and cool systems, it's just not fun for me, and it's also just not a western RPG.

Not me that made the comparison. The discussion was in reference to engine tech and I think in terms of technical execution NMS is the more impressive piece of work. Not a game for everyone, I grant you, but the sense of scale is genuinely impressive, docking screens and all. If NMS hadn't done it in 2016 and Starfield had delivered that same experience across a huge solar system in 2023 it would have still blown minds.

 

[onQ123]

My opinion is that people expected too much out of the gate but in the end the game will pick back up & be one of the great games like No Man's Sky & Cyberpunk 2077

 

[damidu]

gift that keeps on giving

Two months after launch, Starfield has fewer players on Steam than Skyrim, which is 12 years old

The Starfield Steam player count has dropped below that of Elder Scrolls Skyrim, just two months after the new Bethesda RPG first launched.

www.pcgamesn.com

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Not me that made the comparison. The discussion was in reference to engine tech and I think in terms of technical execution NMS is the more impressive piece of work. Not a game for everyone, I grant you, but the sense of scale is genuinely impressive, docking screens and all. If NMS hadn't done it in 2016 and Starfield had delivered that same experience across a huge solar system in 2023 it would have still blown minds.

Sure, but I'm not sure the tech and time necessary is there yet for that kind of experience. Could Bethesda build things to make the game more immersive? I think so, and I suggested at least one sort of fix for that just a few minutes ago. Hopefully the team can identify those places and improve the immersion. I think that is at least possible. I also wish they would change the random NPC character generation to at least create more normal looking people. The skin tones, haircuts, body types and genders are all so randomized that you just get some awfully ugly people in the game. So you get all these people with haircuts and facial features that don't seem to match with their ethnicities. Also, because they include so many shades of brown, and a few light skin tones, the randomization actually makes the NPCs look less rather than more diverse.

 

[JTCx]

Empty planets? Space is full of empty planets dude. They said this from the beginning.

So you agree this game is ass.

 

[Skifi28]

Empty planets? Space is full of empty planets dude. They said this from the beginning.

It's an RPG, not a simulation. To me it seems like an excuse for half-assing things.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

AI and the weapons

Not to mention the completely broken traversal and empty plants issue

I wouldn't say any of that is broken. It can all certainly be improved, but what is broken about traversal? I can get from galaxy to galaxy and planet to planet easily. Also, in action gameplay, traversal is pretty fun actually.

 

[MMaRsu]

So you agree this game is ass.

No, the interesting content is in the factions, the story missions, the companion quests, the random missions you can find.

The interesting content is not on random planets, and its not the random points of interest.

Just like nobody is playing the Radiant quests in Skyrim over and over again, the interesting content there is not found in caves.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Unless Bethesda has a geenie in a bootle or were willing to spend 7 years on patches and updates there isnt much it can be done.

They should have focused on the Star System instead of wasting time with 1831 identical planets.

Nothing needs to be fixed.

It needs to incentivise exploration through quests on planet surfaces.

Need to add some 20 hrs of story content. Can be done with an expansion.

 

[MMaRsu]

It's an RPG, not a simulation. To me it seems like an excuse for half-assing things.

Space is just a backdrop for their missions. Just like the city in Mafia 2 is literally empty, and only provides a backdrop to the missions.

 

[Skifi28]

Space is just a backdrop for their missions. Just like the city in Mafia 2 is literally empty, and only provides a backdrop to the missions.

It's a backdrop, but they kept advertising and building up the exploration aspect of the game.

 

[MMaRsu]

It's a backdrop, but they kept advertising and building up the exploration aspect of the game.

They really didnt. They constantly said that exploration is different in this game.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Planetary exploration would be so much better with some kind of vehicle. Distances between points of interest are ridiculous and not fun to traverse on foot.

 

[JTCx]

No, the interesting content is in the factions, the story missions, the companion quests, the random missions you can find.

The interesting content is not on random planets, and its not the random points of interest.

Just like nobody is playing the Radiant quests in Skyrim over and over again, the interesting content there is not found in caves.

Ass game is ass.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Empty planets? Space is full of empty planets dude. They said this from the beginning.

They clearly weren't going for realism. Space also doesn't have super/force powers and the ability to mind-control animals.

 

[Forth]

I dread to think when DLC is coming considering how long a patch is taking.
Phil Spencer needs to stick his toe up Bethesda's arse!

 

[Alebrije]

How are the weapons systems broken?

How is the traversal broken?

Empty planets? Space is full of empty planets dude. They said this from the beginning.

I love people like to shit on this game with shit that Bethesda themselves said and showed from the beginning. Its fucking hilarious.

Do not know what weapons "broken system" means but certanily the lack of variety on this game is a letdown , in the end you are just playing with the same base kind of weapon with just some changes from another...

Just look at Fallout 76 variety ..
If Starfield has half of them would be great.

Weapons on ST dont feel different at all.

 

[MMaRsu]

Ass game is ass.

Great arguments man, if you don't actually want to discuss but just troll then just fuck off man

 

[fallingdove]

Nothing needs to be fixed.

It needs to incentivise exploration through quests on planet surfaces.

Need to add some 20 hrs of story content. Can be done with an expansion.

“Nothing needs to be fixed”

Immediately lists things that need to be fixed.

Starfield is an average RPG set in space. The ambition at Bethesda outweighed their talent. The graphics are average, the gameplay loop — average, the story — average. There are bright spots, sure, but I don’t see the point in holding on to the reins of an imaginary unicorn when in reality, Starfield is a run of the mill donkey.

That aside, I am glad you are still finding enjoyment playing it.

 

[kiphalfton]

Treat it like release of Elder Scrolls 1. It's very different from what market has seen so far.

By the time Morrowind released, they had matured the formula a lot, that was essentially perfected in Skyrim.

Starfield formula, I don't think it will take that long to perfect. They have army of developers and a ton of player feedback.

Are you sure you don't have it backwards?

 

[JTCx]

Great arguments man, if you don't actually want to discuss but just troll then just fuck off man

Nothing to argue. Order 66 is in effect.

 

[Mindman]

Once the beta patch that fixes performance releases for everyone I expect these review scores to gradually tick back up. A lot people are mainly pissed about the performance. Although it's not the only issue of course.

 

[yamaci17]

Once the beta patch that fixes performance releases for everyone I expect these review scores to gradually tick back up. A lot people are mainly pissed about the performance. Although it's not the only issue of course.

at this point I'm starting to think that these developers willingly omit dlss2/dlss3 implementation so that they can put the blame of bad reception upon people who whined for these features

it practically is a scapegoat. they can act like their game got a bad rep because "yeah they reviewed bombed us bcoz most pc folks are on nvidia and we lacked dlss 2 support!!"

sure some of the reviews are indeed due to performance/lack of technologies but the main point is this game shouldn't have loading screens. it should've been a seamless experience, old engine or not. these nextgen consoles support full directstorage and have fast SSD. they should've coded a streaming system. I don't accept the excuse that the engine is old or something. I simply cannot. I'm sure it is doable. it is just that they thought they could get away with it. they couldn't.

so they tried to shift the focus to things like lacking dlss, lacking FOV to hide the fact that the underlying core issues get sweeped under the rug among these issues.

sadly it doesn't work that way either. at least I'm not buying it.

I like this game a lot, ngl. Played it for like 30 hrs. had to ditch for phantom liberty. and now I don't want to go back. as much as I like bethesda style game and gameplay, I just want some more immersiveness. I just want to sit down and drink a booze in a bar. I just cannot do that. Why the heck I cannot do that? There's not a single loading screen across the enormous night city. there will be constant loading screens in starfield. It is hard to back to that now.

Back in 2011, I remember sittinn down with a group of stormcloak soldiers and imagined myself as eating bread with them. it was acceptable back then, with technical limitations of ps3 and whatnot. it is not acceptable for now. I feel like the world is there but I cannot interact with it. It didn't felt like this back in 2011. You knew the games had limitations, and the game was ambitious for what it is worth. Starfield doesn't feel like that. the lack of npc and their own life cycles also hurt a lot. I remember skyrim npcs actually having a decent schedule, having work, going home, doing stuff around, visiting stores and whatnot. this game does not have that as well. these regressions make me sad. I'd give the game a fair 8/10 myself eventually, probably. But I wanted a skyrim like 9.5/10 unforgettable experience. that game at the time was groundbreaking compared to other games we've played around those time.

this game is not. bethesda why do this? where did this go all wrong? I thought fallout 4 and then 76 was flukes but they'd eventually correct the course. but at this point I'm starting to worry that the bethesda has lost its magic... and that also makes me sad. I don't want that happening. but I guess the genie is out of the bottle already

 

[TransTrender]

I was wondering if Starfield would get lapped before Skyrim's anniversary, but apparently it only took 72 extra hours.

 

[Edmund]

Phil Spencer needs to stick his toe up Bethesda's arse!

You just gave adamsapple something to fantasise about. Dammit.
He's gonna imagine Phil's toe up his ass now.